


Meet the Whitlys

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Adoption, Finding Biological Parents, Gen, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, minor death mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23820877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: 20 years ago, Jessica Whitly discovered she was pregnant with another Whitly child a few weeks after his arrest. In an attempt to bring this new life normalcy, she put her daughter up for adoption and watched from afar. Now, Cailtlyn Monroe has moved to the city in the wake of her adopted mother's death in an attempt to find her unknown biological parents.
Relationships: Ainsley Whitly & Original Character, Gil Arroyo & Jessica Whitly, Jessica Whitly & Original Character, Malcolm Bright & Original Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. A New Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there Prodigies! This isn't my original idea; it was spurred on by a headcanon post made by @crazytwist09 on Tumblr! I got permission to write this story from them and I hope you all enjoy!

Jessica Whitly looked over the list of possible new tenants for one of her low-end properties. Most of them seemed average to down-right unbearable but she had to pick someone to fill the empty space.  She’d just about given up on finding a decent tenant when a certain name caught her eye. A name she’d hoped wouldn’t cross her path again.  _ No…. It couldn’t be…. _

_ ~20 years ago~ _

She stared at the pregnancy test in her hand. It had just been a hunch but the tenth positive in a row didn’t lie. Just over a month ago, Martin Whitly had been arrested as The Surgeon and her life had been a non-stop aggressive press interview since. Her son hadn’t spoken a word since and even getting out of bed was a chore, especially with little Ainsley always asking when Daddy was coming home.

And now she had this to contend with.

She couldn’t get rid of it; her reputation was crumbling as it was. But could she really bring a child into this mess? Even if the press died down in time for the birth, the child would still carry the Whitly name and face the scorn it brought. Worst of all, they would never fully understand why since everything happened before they even came in contact with this cruel world.

It plagued her mind for weeks as her life ran on autopilot. She tried her best to act like nothing else was going on, a skill she’d honed for most of her life, but even Gil noticed the way her hand just barely stopped from reaching for the liquor cabinet and he was such a good listener.

“I can’t willfully force this on an innocent child and Lord knows what Martin would do if he ever found out. But what else am I supposed to do? Just ship them off to the other side of the country once they’re born?”

“Is that such a bad idea?”

“Oh, as if I could. The media would be on it as soon as I started showing and some bastard would somehow track them down….” She buried her face in her hands. Why did life hand her such an impossible situation?

Gil gently pat her knee and she let herself lean against him. “I can help if that’s what you want,” he assured her. “I can help you hide from the media and I know a few good adoption agencies. Jackie’s been looking into them for a while. We’ll take the kids while you’re at doctor’s appointments and anything else we can figure out along the way. It won’t be easy but I’m happy to help.” He smiled gently and held her while she cried quiet tears of relief. 

Maybe she could do this….

\-----

It wasn’t easy but she doubted anything would be ever again. The media refused to back down as the trial went on, only getting more aggressive with each new piece of evidence. At some point she had to throw in some extra money to have in-home appointments because it would’ve been impossible for her to leave without someone noticing her bump.

The Arroyos were more than happy to watch the children on the weekends and she was almost grateful that Malcolm wanted to visit his father as it kept him out of the house. Ainsley wasn’t always so easy to distract but she was so young, it was easy to explain anything away. Malcolm might’ve noticed something, smart boy that he was, but if he did he never brought it up.

Her biggest problem, besides the media, was finding a home for her unborn child. There were many prospects for her to choose from at first but at least half of them cleared when they saw the Whitly name. After that, she ran into a few weirdos who either wanted to control her diet or were fans of The Surgeon. She tried not to be too picky but she wanted this child to have as normal of a life as possible. Can you really blame a mother for worrying?

Finally, _ finally _ , after months of so much stress she was afraid she’d miscarry, she found an amazing couple. They’d been trying to have a child for years but nothing seemed to work. They lived just on the other side of the state in a lovely suburb. The wife was a doctor who ran her own wellness clinic and the husband worked as an accountant at a reputable technology company. They didn’t seem to care about her name or her circumstances. They agreed to let her keep tabs on the child and to never reveal the birth parents. It seemed all they wanted was a healthy child to raise and love.

A few weeks later, Caitlyn Whitly, soon to be Caitlyn Monroe, was born. A week after that, she was safe in the arms of her parents and headed home for a normal life far away from the Surgeon’s legacy. Jessica was almost sad to see her go but never doubted her choice. 

Over the years she was able to keep a distant eye on her daughter. She compiled a small filing cabinet of baby pictures, sports achievements, academic awards, and birthday cards. She provided donations to any medical emergencies and helped fund some scholarships. She couldn’t have been prouder of her long-lost child….

_ ~Present~ _

The name Caitlyn Monroe stared at her from the application file. It had to be a coincidence, right? There was no way her secret child was trying to get an apartment with her. Life couldn’t be that crazy, right?

Jessica googled the name of the bakery she listed as her employment. It was new, only open for a few months but it gained quite a following due to its social media presence. 

The Instagram account was mostly full of cake and cookie arrangement pictures and the Twitter and Facebook pages were no help either. Biting her lip, she clicked on one of the  _ How-To _ videos boasted on the YouTube channel.

Less than a minute in, there she was, rolling out some fondant for a faerie cake. Caitlyn Monroe. The secret Whitly child. Jessica had stared at her face on lonely nights long enough to recognize it, even if it had been a few years since her high school graduation.

If she was smart, she would’ve turned down the application. She would’ve settled for someone else. She would’ve kept her daughter far away from anything to do with the Whitly family, like she always planned. She would’ve at least called Gil so she could be talked down from anything drastic.

And Jessica Whitly was smart, so very very smart. But this was her daughter, right in front of her just waiting to be met. She knew all of Caitlyn’s stats right down to her favorite anime. But she didn’t know her, never even passed her on the street before. Can you blame a mother for being curious and needing to be sure it all worked out and her child had actually turned out normal?

_ Congratulations, Caitlyn Monroe…. _

She was doing it. She was letting her secret child into a Whitly property. She was going to meet her in person when she moved in. She was just going to get a sense of how she turned out. Then they’d never have to speak again outside of business. What could possibly go wrong?


	2. Meeting the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Caitlyn meets all the unincarcerated members of the Whitly family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a heads up, Caitlyn and Ainsley will have a casual date in a future chapter before they learn that they're sisters. Not incest so I didn't include the tag but I thought I'd give you a warning just in case. I hope you enjoy!

Caitlyn Monroe waited outside of her new apartment. Everything was all set up, all she had to do was sign the final paperwork.

She’d been in the city for a few months and until this morning was living with her culinary school friends. However, she quickly discovered that living with someone  _ and _ working with them at the bakery could be a bit much more often than not. It didn’t help that they were all older than her and kept trying to give her “life lessons”, like her mother didn’t leave her three binders worth of advice. 

To be honest, she was a little surprised that she got this place. Sure, it was a little low end but she’d heard that Jessica Whitly was extremely strict with who she let into her properties, almost always just giving them to family or people she knew. It probably didn’t help her case that she wasn’t old enough to go to a bar and had virtually no credit history. But, she’d been accepted and now all she had to do was get through this move-in day smoothly so she could get back to work without her “boss” getting on her case.

\------

“Jessica, this is a bad idea.”

She sighed and avoided eye contact by digging through her purse for something. “I know, Gil, but I couldn't help myself. This is my daughter. And she’s here, practically on my doorstep! Was I just supposed to turn her down?”

“Seeing as the whole point of sending her away was to keep her away from your family’s insanity, yes.” Gil mentally facepalmed as he drove to Jessica’s building. When she asked him for a ride to meet her new tenant, this was not what he had in mind. “Why are we going to meet her? You shouldn’t be talking to her outside of needed repairs and rent payments anyway.”

“I know, I know, I just…. I have to know.” She bit her lip and stared out of the window. “I have to know that she’s normal. That she’s...okay.”

“Why didn’t you ask Malcolm along then? He’s the profiler. If anyone knows normal, it’s him.”

Jessica gave him a side eye while she fixed her makeup. “Have you met my son? He’d get too intense and scare her off. You’ve spent years on the force and you’ve been working with Malcolm for a while; surely you’ve picked up on some things? And, for what it’s worth, you’re the most normal person I’ve ever met.”

"Thanks...I think."

The rest of the ride passed in relative silence, not that Gil couldn't hear Jessica thinking from a mile away. As much as he didn’t like it, he really couldn’t blame her for taking this chance. Even if she’d been hearing from the Monroe’s this whole time, she rarely got more than the stats. She had no idea who her daughter was as a person or what had been kept from her to preserve the fantasy of a “normal” child. He shared the same worry. With any luck, the kid was just a little quirky.  _ One can only hope…. _

\-----------------------

Caitlyn smiled when Jessica approached her and offered her hand to shake. “Thank you for letting me rent here. I promise, I was raised to be a good tenant.”

“I’m sure. Let’s go in and go over the final paperwork, shall we?”

_ She seems nice at least…. _ She’d heard plenty of landlord horror stories from her parents and she mostly knew what to look for. So far, so good. 

“Oh, and this is Gil. I inconvenienced him to give my driver the morning off.” The older man waved at her but stayed quiet. Caitlyn couldn’t shake the feeling he was watching her but she let it slide for now; maybe he was just an awkward person.

Jessica went over the rules with her a final time, basic stuff: no pets, no loud parties, no running a brothel on the premises, etc. She just smiled and nodded along, ready to get unpacked and settle in a bit. They signed the final papers and at long last she held the key to her own apartment. That was going to take some getting used to.

For now, she had boxes to unpack and a boss/friend to not piss off.

\-------------

“So?”

“So, what?”

Jessica huffed and lightly slapped his shoulder. “So, what did you think?”

“She seems fine, Jess. Very polite, well put together, normal. Relax; you did good.” And it was true. He's only had a dew minutes with jer but it seemed Caitlyn had turned out to be a well adjusted individual despite her genetic curse. 

Jessica allowed herself a small smile as they drove away. She didn't screw it up. The child was fine anf she would stay that way. She didn't have to worry about her again…..

"Do you think her bakery caters?"

"Jess…." He warned. It was supposed to be one meeting and then leave it and that was risky enough as it was.

"Gil, don't you have to go to work?"

"Jess."

"Gil, let me have this."

"....Buy me a muffin while you're there?"

\--------------------------------

Ainsley downed her coffee as she ran into the office, praying that would make up for her lack of breakfast.  _ Stupid broken alarm clocks _ …..

By lunch, it was clear that a large light roast wasn’t going to cut it for the day. Her lunch was usually light but she had been planning on working through much of her break so that left her with pretty limited options. Oh well, she’d heard good things about that new bakery down the street. Maybe she should finally check it out.

She walked in and she was surprised to see it was empty. Though she did miss the lunch rush by a good hour…. “Hi! What can I get for you?” She was startled out of her thoughts by a friendly smile with a “Caitlyn” nametag.

“Oh, um….I’m not sure. A scone I guess.”

“You guess? Do you want a snack or a lunch?”

“A sn-” She was interrupted by her stomach growling embarrassingly loud. “...Lunch.”

“Alright.” Another nice smile. “Well, we have a breakfast bagel that I could warm up for you. Bacon, eggs, melty cheese, not too greasy, and you can hold it with one hand.” 

“Sounds perfect.”

“Great! If you’ll just wait a few minutes, that’ll be $4.50 Miss…?”

“Whitly. Ainsley Whitly.”

“Okay!”

\---------

Caitlyn watched her go and hoped she wasn't blushing too badly. As much as she preferred working in the back, she could handle working the register for her friends' lunch break. It didn't hurt when she met nice people.

She recognized Ainsley from the news and she was a little surprised to see her out of the studio. Okay, she was hardly famous but surely she warranted having an assistant that could do that? Or maybe she just liked being out of the office.

Oh, well. It was almost time for her own lunch break and any thoughts of cute reporters left her head to make room for a more pressing issue.

\---------------------------

Malcolm was walking. He wasn’t sure where he was going and he didn’t really care; he was just walking somewhere until he was tired enough to sleep. Unfortunately, that walk included rain and his bomber jacket just wasn’t cutting it. He was freeing and he didn’t really know where he was. Great.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Was that for him? He turned and saw a young woman, easily early twenties, standing outside of a bakery. She, unlike him, had an umbrella and seemed concerned about him. How nice. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Are you sure? You look cold. And wet. And like a decent wind will knock you over.”

_ Isn’t that a confidence booster _ ? “I’m fine, really.”

“If you say so…” She definitely did not believe him. “I have some towels inside if you change your mind.” She went inside to get out of the rain but she didn’t lock the door behind her.

What did he really have to lose? It was very cold out and he didn’t want to worry Gil or, worse, his mother. She seemed nice enough and if it went south he could probably fight her off. Two seconds later he was knocking on the glass door and was greeted with surprisingly warm towels.

“There, those should dry you off. I can also make some coffee if you want.”

‘That’s not necessary Miss…”

“Monroe. Caitlyn Monroe. And it’s no trouble; I was going to make one anyway while I waited for my Uber.” She smiled and held up the coffee pot in another silent offer.

He shook his head and sat down once he was dry enough. “I’m Malcolm Bright. So, Caitlyn, I take it you work here?”  _ Wow, that bad at conversation? _

“Yep. I was just locking up for the night when the rain started. I was gonna wait it out but then it got worse so here we are.” The machine whirred softly and she turned back to face him. “What about you? Why are you out so late?”

He shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Ugh, I get that,” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’ve been working here a lot since we’re just starting out which is great because yay, small business boost but it also kinda sucks because there’s this other thing I’ve been working on that I don’t have time for. Massively cutting into my sleep schedule.”

_ Talkative. Interesting…. _ At least the conversation moved away from him. “What are you working on?”   
  


She started to speak but then hesitated, as if she remembered he was a perfect stranger. “Ummm, kind of a personal thing.”

“Of course, I understand.” 

They fell into an awkward silence while the coffee brewed. Soon enough, they were both sitting at a table with warm cups in their hands. He texted Gil where he was and asked very nicely for him to pick him up while she waited for her ride. “What do you do here?” He asked to pass the time.

“Depends. Mostly I’m in the back, baking and decorating, but sometimes I work the counter. I prefer the back; quieter and I feel like I know what I’m doing.” She shrugged and sipped her drink. “What about you? What do you do?”

“I’m a consultant with the NYPD. A profiler specifically.”

“Oh, cool! Like you get into the minds of criminals and stuff?” Oddly enough, she seemed genuinely interested.

“Yeah, something like that.”

They swapped work stories until their rides showed up. She waved goodbye and got in her car and if Malcolm didn’t know any better he’d say that Gil was watching her the whole time.

“Thanks for coming to pick me up. I know it’s late.”

“Yeah, yeah….” Malcolm strapped in while Caitlyn’s ride drove away. “Do you know her?”   
  


“No, we just met tonight. Why?” 

“No reason. I just worry about you sometimes.” Well, that was a lie. Gil normally didn't bother with lying since Malcolm was good at catching that, so this was serious.  _ Why? _

“Right….”

\-----------------------------

Caitlyn sighed as she walked into her new apartment. Hectic days and rainy nights never mixed well. Oh well, at least she met some nice people. But that wasn’t her concern right now. She pulled out her laptop and went to a familiar page. She still wasn’t sure what she was doing but her birth parents weren’t going to find themselves….

She just had to keep trying.


End file.
